Novak Djokovic suffered a shock exit from the Shanghai Masters on Friday, losing in straight sets to Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in his opening match just days after winning the China Open in Beijing.
Hurkacz, the 2023 Shanghai Masters champion, defeated the 39-year-old Serbian 6-4, 6-3, capitalising on Djokovic’s struggles against the fast court conditions and his own powerful serve.
“I didn’t feel myself on the court,” Djokovic said after the defeat.
“It’s a super-quick surface, completely different from Beijing. If you lose your serve, it’s enough to lose a match.”
The former world number one arrived in Shanghai on the back of his triumph in Beijing, where he maintained his unbeaten record on the professional tour. However, the quick turnaround appeared to take its toll as he struggled to find his rhythm against an opponent 10 years his junior.
Djokovic was visibly uncomfortable at times, bending over and squatting between points during the cool evening encounter, while Hurkacz maintained his intensity and made it difficult for the Serbian to gain a foothold in the match.
The decisive break in the second set came in the fourth game when Djokovic double-faulted, allowing Hurkacz to move ahead 3-1. The Pole subsequently held his serve to seal victory in one hour and 28 minutes.
Hurkacz fired 13 aces during the contest, underlining the difficulty Djokovic faced in returning his serve.
“It’s very difficult to return his serve, almost impossible,” Djokovic said. “I didn’t adjust, and it was a really tough draw for me to play him in the first match-up.”
Hurkacz had reached the semi-finals in Beijing but withdrew early from his match because of a strained muscle.
The victory marked his first career win over Djokovic in nine meetings on the professional tour.
“It was a challenging match, always,” Hurkacz said. “I was pleased with how I performed, how I received in important moments.”
He will face either Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti or Chinese wildcard Zhou Yi in the third round.
Zverev survives scare against Wu
Earlier, top seed Alexander Zverev overcame a stern challenge from Chinese wildcard Wu Yibing to advance with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) victory.
The German world number two will next face France’s Quentin Halys.
Zverev appeared to be in discomfort during the 11th game of the second set after diving for a shot and grabbing his left ankle. Wu, ranked 113th, capitalised on the momentum to take a 6-5 lead.
However, the 29-year-old German held serve to force a tie-break, where he took advantage of a series of errors from the Chinese player to secure victory on his second match point after Wu sent a shot long.
“Credit to him, he was playing amazing tennis,” Zverev told the crowd after the match. “He hits every ball as hard as he can.”
Zverev is also aiming to finish the year as world number one following Jannik Sinner’s announcement that he would end his season because of injury.
Shelton celebrates birthday with victory
American third seed Ben Shelton marked his 24th birthday with a hard-fought 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) victory over Germany’s Daniel Altmaier.
Shelton will face France’s Arthur Gea in the third round after securing a win that provided a fitting birthday present.
However, the American suggested celebrations would be modest when asked about his plans during an on-court interview.
“I hate cake,” he said.
Elsewhere, Frenchman Adrian Mannarino produced an upset by defeating sixth seed Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 to set up a third-round meeting with Karen Khachanov.
Japanese qualifier Rei Sakamoto also claimed a notable victory, beating Russia’s Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-4 to book a clash with ninth seed Alex de Minaur.
AFP
